Bennett Bean Covered Bridge

Located south of Wilson's Mills, Maine off SR 16 in the Aziscoos Valley Campground.

The Bennett-Bean Bridge is an unexpected surprise to travelers driving along Route 16 in western Maine near the New Hampshire state line. The bridge has a single-span Paddleford truss 92' 8" over the Magalloway River. It has been closed to vehicle traffic since 1985, but pedestrian traffic is welcome.

The first abutments were constructed of logs, on July 11, 1898 at a cost of $280.00; framing and raising of the bridge was done at a cost of $500.00. The lumber for the bridge had to be rafted twenty five miles to the bridge site at an additional cost of $2.00 per thousand feet. The supervisor of the six-day rafting trip was paid $1.50 a day, and the 1,120 feet of planks for the flooring cost $14.56.

The approaches to the bridge were completed in October; and on November 17, 1898, the town voted to accept the bridge and relieve the committee of any further responsibility. The bridge was covered one year later. Its log abutments were replaced with split stone at a later date.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 16, 1970.

An application was applied for with the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program for funds toward an $850,000 restoration program for the bridge and the program awarded $581,404 towards the project. The bridge is in wonderful condition, thanks in large measure to the extensive restoration and rebuilding project in 2004.